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Even with all the opening day baseball games, the coolest story of the day was the unveiling of a statue in Arlington created in memory of Shannon Stone, the firefighter who was at the game with his son when he reached out to catch a souvenir baseball thrown to him by Josh Hamilton, stumbled, and fell 20 feet to his death. The Rangers had a local artist create a statue of Shannon and his son, Cooper, that was created in Shannon’s memory, but dedicated to all fans – especially the fathers who bring their kids out to the ballgame. [ESPN and others… The MLB site had video of the unveiling.]

Opening Day Notes:

The first full slate of opening day games included a number of fine pitching performances. Johan Santana went five scoreless in his first outing since shoulder surgery, Roy Halliday threw eight scoreless, as did Justin Verlander, in wins, and Johnny Cueto looked like Luis Tiant in dominating the Marlins (the Reds Opener, but the second game for the run-scarce Miami Marlins). Ryan Dempster and Stephen Strasburg pitched well without getting a decision, and Erik Bedard faced the wrong team in losing, 1 – 0.

One new record was set – the Toronto Blue Jays needed 16 innings before a J.P. Arencibia homer topped the Indians, 7 – 4.

For a complete scoreboard, I’m partial to the MLB.com scoreboard – especially the MLB.com application on the iPad. Seriously – it’s awesome.

Aches and Pains…

Mets outfielder Andres Torresreinjured his calf on opening day, so he is likely going on the DL and returning to Port St. Lucie to rehab. [FoxSports]

San Diego placed pitcher Tim Stauffer on the 15-Day DL with a strained right elbow.

The Transaction Wire…

A few teams were making final moves, sending various players to the minors or bringing them up to the bigs. Those that caught my attention:

I’ve probably written this before – and if so, I apologize – but Marty Pattin is just one of those guys who makes me think of my grandfather and baseball cards. My parents both lived in a three-flat home on Sacremento near Addison in Chicago. Mom lived upstairs, the owners lived on the main floor, and my dad lived downstairs. After my parents married and moved out, we would regularly go down to that same three-flat to visit my grandparents and invariably I would watch baseball games with my grandfather, Sverre Kramer. He lived and died with the Cubs, used to yell out “Oh, for the love of Mike…” whenever something bad happened (which was often enough) and one of my first baseball memories is watching a game with him where Roberto Clemente hit two homers to top the Cubs and Fergie Jenkins some 40 years ago.

Anyway, down the street at the end of the block was a corner store. My brother and I walked down there one day – I was seven years old – and we were given 50 cents to buy something by Grandpa Kramer. Mike bought candy. I, of course, bought baseball cards. Opening the pack, the one player who stood out to me was Marty Pattin. I can still picture the card and reading the stats on the back.

Anyway, Pattin has kind of hung around in my baseball brain. A few years before I got to the University of Kansas, Pattin was a coach there – so I would see his name in the media guide. Pattin comes up in trivia questions from time to time, and no matter what I always end up thinking about that pack of cards. It wasn’t my first pack of cards – dad used to leave one under my cereal bowl as a kid from time to time – but it might have been the first pack that I chose to buy by myself. And it’s Marty Pattin’s card that I think about.

2011 Record: 102 – 60 (1st in NL East, Best Record in NL)Runs Scored: 713, (7th in the NL)Runs Allowed: 529, (Best in the NL)

Season Recap:

With three aces firing on all cylinders, the Phillies were hot out of the gate, hot in the summer, and hot all the way into the playoffs, until they ran into a team that got REALLY hot – the Cardinals. When the season ended, the team looked old and out of it – and their most productive hitter was unable to crawl to first base as Ryan Howard blew out his Achilles tendon.

Starting Pitching:

Nobody brings the aces like the Phillies, with Roy Halliday, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels going 1 – 2 – 3. They had Roy Oswalt in the four slot – and he wasn’t horrible – and when Joe Blanton couldn’t make decent starts, the club turned to Vance Worley, who went 11 – 3. Even Kyle Kendrick was above average in terms of runs prevented.

In 2012, the big three return, albeit a year older. Roy Oswalt is gone, so Blanton or Kendrick will get the fifth slot behind Worley. This still still a talented group. I’m not 100% convinced that the big three will be as good as last year – Instead of averaging 40 runs saved per starter over 220 innings each, they could still be in the top ten and save just 30 runs per slot. Worley had a nice record, but it was a tad too good. Kyle Kendrick is a candidate for a big drop in production. They will still be the best starting pitchers in captivity – they just might not be as dominant.

Relief Pitching:

Ryan Madson was solid again – he’s never really had a bad year – and for that, he was summarily told to look elsewhere for work. In his place, the Phillies tossed millions toward former Red Sox closer, Jonathan Papelbon. Relative to the league, Madson was a couple of runs better, but essentially this is a wash. The question is what will the rest of the bullpen look like. Last year, Antonio Bastardo, Michael Stutes, and David Herndon were pretty good – and, thankfully, little used. Danys Baez struggled – the weak link in an otherwise decent bullpen. Another change? No more Brad Lidge, who moves to Washington. Look for someone like Brian Sanches, an NRI pitcher, to get a shot at middle relief.

Catching:

Carlos Ruiz was remarkable – arguably the best catcher in the NL other than Yadier Molina – and added a .280+ batting average and +.370 on base percentage. Back up Brian Schneider struggled, though – batting all of .176. This will remain a strength so long as Ruiz is on the job.

Infield:

Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Placido Polanco all provided decent production. Even saying that, Ryan Howard fell off to fewer than 100 runs created (33 – 116 – .254, with a .349 OBP and sub .500 slugging). Chase Utley’s knees are problematic. Jimmy Rollins was above average at the plate but remains a liability in the field with below average range. Polanco’s batting is now an issue – his batting average fell to .277 with just 19 extra base hits. His fielding is fading, though the heavy lefty rotation kept Polanco’s stats in check. The problem with this foursome is that they are old and fading. Howard isn’t going to be 100% and there is no date yet for his return. Utley is seeing a specialist regarding his knee, and both Rollins and Polanco are fighting father time.

To help out, the Phillies brought in former power source Jim Thome, who would be great in a limited role but might have to play a bit more first base than planned. John Mayberry is likely going to be his platoon partner – Mayberry hits a little like Ryan Howard, but not like the old Howard. It’s hard to see this group providing as much offense as last year – and if rookie Freddy Galvis can’t hit when playing for Utley, this could be a 50 – 75 run fall off from last year. Another option might be Ty Wigginton, who can play all infield positions if necessary. His defense might not be as good as Polanco’s, for example, but he can put more runs on the board these days.

Outfield:

The Phillies have had productive bats in the outfield for years now, and 2012 will be no exception. Hunter Pence remains in right field – a bit of a liability defensively, but a solid bat that can be found anywhere from third to sixth in this lineup depending on who is playing that day. He could move to left field to accommodate Domonic Brown, who should get a full-time shot in the outfield now that Raul Ibanez is gone. Brown has a decent enough arm, youthful range, and room to grow. Shane Victorino nearly generated 100 runs of offense with his speed and power – 27 doubles, 16 triples, and 17 homers. He remains the Phillies best leadoff option.

Mayberry remains to play left field or right field, and Laynce Nix is in town as a fifth outfielder – not a bad player to have around.

Bench:

With Wigginton and Mayberry the Phillies have plenty of flexibility, and Brown might be able to give you a few innings in center. You’d like a little more offense out of Brian Schneider, but the Phillies don’t seem to have another option. The Non-Roster Invite list in Spring Training is pretty thick with potential bench options (Scott Podsednik, Juan Pierre, Dave Bush, Brian Sanches, Kevin Frandsen, Pete Orr), but I can’t see them all sticking…

Prospects:

Most of the guys who played at AAA Lehigh Valley (Go Pigs!) are guys who have had enough cups of coffee or playing time to warrant their own Starbucks franchise. The only real prospects to go through there are Brown and Galvis. Pitcher Justin De Fratus could help in the bullpen – with Lehigh he went 2 – 3 with a 3.73 ERA, but 56 Ks and 11 BBs in his 41 innings there.

Looking at AA Reading, Matt Rizzotti had a solid year – (24 – 84 -.295) and was able to get a taste of AAA. He’s a bit old for a prospect, but not as old as Mike Spidale, who hit .326 and reminds you of Juan Pierre. Since the Phillies have the real Juan Pierre, having Spidale seems redundant. Another outfielder who can hit appears to be Steve Susdorf, who was a late round pick in 2008 out of Fresno State and when given at bats in AA batted .339 – which is what he always seems to do. Unlike Spilale, though, he doesn’t seem to have speed and may run out of gas at AAA. The arms look better – Austin Hyatt made 28 starts and finished 12 – 6 with 171 Ks and 49 BBs in 154.1 innings. Tyler Cloyd made 17 starts, went 6 – 3, and fanned 99 to just 13 walks in his 106.2 innings. And Phillippe Aumont passed through AA on the way to AAA and was dominant as a reliever.

A+ Clearwater featured 1B Darin Ruf, a hitter – 43 doubles and 17 homers, batting .308 – and Cesar Hernandez, a 21 year old second baseman with speed and a decent glove. Catcher Sebastian Valle hit .284 and might make the MLB roster in 2014. The staff featured Trevor May (208Ks in 151.1 innings) and Julio Rodriguez (168Ks in 156.2 innings, 16 – 7 record) – they are now old enough to drink after games.

2012 Forecast:

Teams that win 100 games don’t often repeat that level of success. Defensively, this team is going to slide because it’s getting older in the infield and the guys replacing Howard at first won’t be as good as Ryan is – and he’s just league average. Domonic Brown will help the outfield some, but the catching – even as good as it is – is reaching a point where age is going to catch up. There isn’t a lot of upside in the batting order – most every one here has peaked, except Domonic Brown who can’t be expected to do WAY more than Ibanez. In truth, this team could lose 50 runs in offense and 30 – 50 runs on defense. If it’s 30 runs on defense, the team likely wins 95 games, which could be enough to win the division. If it’s 50 runs on defense, the team wins 92 games, which might not be enough considering the Marlins, Braves, and Nationals are all chomping at the bit.

My fear is that it’s going to be the lower number – the Phillies will be in it and might take a wild card slot, but I think 92 wins will be a good season.

Finally getting caught up on my statistical analysis as I head into the 2012 Spring Training season… First of all, God Bless Sean Lahman, whose baseball database makes it possible to write queries and look at statistics using a Microsoft Access relational database… The rest is doing the math.

When I review best and worst pitchers, I look at the total number of runs saved relative to the league average pitcher. I get data for runs allowed per nine innings, then adjust for the pitcher’s home park and finally I adjust for the defense of the players behind that pitcher. The best pitcher is the one who saves his team the most runs – the worst is the pitcher who costs his team the most runs.

You want to know why the Phillies won 100+ games, it’s because they had three of the top four starting pitchers, and a fourth who wound up in the top ten. Even Roy Oswalt (not listed) was an above average pitcher. Clayton Kershaw was a fantastic choice for the NL Cy Young award, but the numbers suggest what we all know – Roy Halliday is the best pitcher in baseball.

The guy who usually tops this list is a starter who keeps getting run out there as if his team has no other options. Certainly, the Reds should have been able to address the Bronson Arroyo problem by now (nearly 30 extra runs allowed than an average pitcher over the course of 199 innings), and running him out there every fifth day was problematic. The Marlins have the same issue with Ricky Nolasco. He’s got amazing stuff, but for some reason keeps getting hit. If he doesn’t turn things around, the Marlins will have to find another option. By the way, the Marlins can’t afford to have two guys on the bad list and make the playoffs. The Brewers used to be on this list – and then they got five league average pitchers to match up with their amazing offense and made the playoffs.

By the way, this is total runs that one player cost his team. Barry Zito, for example, was far worse per inning than Arroyo. Had Barry been allowed to throw 200 innings, at the rate he was going he would have given up close to 75 extra runs. The Giants had other options, so Zito was removed from the rotation before any further overall damage could be done.

I’ll cut off the list at five – guys who make this list are people who wind up in AAA or released before you know it. Still Kuo was bad – basically six runs worse than any other guy every nine innings he pitched. Aneury Rodriguez was the lone exception…

With this combination of run scored and allowed, you’d expect 84 wins, so Toronto was pretty much on the money.

2010 Recap:

Most everyone had them fourth – so no surprises here. Well, not at a team level anyway… A LOT of surprises at the player level – but we’ll cover that down below.

After trading wins and losses for a month, the Blue Jays got hot in May and raced toward the top of the division. Unfortunately, the Jays were equally cold in June and fell back to fourth. June was their only losing month – from July 7th on, the Jays were 14 over .500, so if they hadn’t gone cold for the 30 days from June 6 to July 6, it’s very likely that the Jays could have sneaked into the playoffs.

What made Toronto competitive on heals of losing the best pitcher in their team’s history, Roy Halliday, was a BUNCH of home runs. Jose Bautista hit 54, Vernon Wells slammed 31 dingers, John Buck had 20, Edwin Encarnacion hit 21, even Alex Gonzalez had 17 in just 85 games. Aaron Hill didn’t hit much, but clocked 26 homers. Adam Lind tallied 23, Lyle Overbay slashed 20, and even the half season of Travis Snider was good for 14. Toronto hit 257 homers but only allowed 150, a gap that covered for other weaknesses.

During the season, the Jays made a few minor deals, but the one that made a splash was the trade in July that sent shortstop Alex Gonzalez and two minor leaguers to Atlanta for Yunel Escobar and Jo-Jo Reyes.

Starters:

As mentioned, Roy Halliday was gone, and the Blue Jays were forced to rely on a bunch of young arms – many of whom were returning from prior shoulder and elbow injuries. Ricky Romero improved on an impressive 2009 rookie season and made 32 starts, logged 210 innings and win 14 games, pitching like an ace for much of the season. Shaun Marcum returned to go 13 – 8 and missed by a start of hitting 200 innings. Brett Cecil, the #1 pick in 2007, raced through the minors and showed moxie – leading the team with 15 wins. Brandon Morrow, who never seemed to live up to the hype in Seattle, fanned 178 batters in just 146.1 innings, kept hitters off stride, and won 10 decisions. The fifth starter role was given to Marc Rzepczynski and Dana Eveland, but at the end was given to former Phillie prospect Kyle Drabek, who looks to make the rotation in 2011.

Looking ahead, Shaun Marcum is gone, having been moved to Milwaukee for Brett Lawrie, a top second base prospect. That leaves Romero, Cecil, Morrow, and either Rzepczynski, Drabek, Reyes, or Jesse Litsch – another former Jays starter coming back from hip surgery. Drabek comes with the most hype – the top prospect in the Toronto chain, having gone 14 – 9 for New Hampshire in the Eastern League. Reyes can pitch some, but more likely will start the year in the bullpen and pick up a start from time to time, which leaves Litsch and Rzepczynski battling for the fifth slot. I think Drabek can be every bit as good as Marcum was in 2010, and if Litsch or Rzepczynski can make 25 healthy starts, this will be a slight improvement – if only because you won’t have the nine less than stellar starts of Dana Eveland in the mix (or, for that matter, Litsch’s nine less than impressive starts).

Bullpen:

Gone is Kevin Gregg, who saved 37 games last year. Gregg is NOT a dominant closer – but rather a tolerable one, He was ably supported by Shawn Camp, Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, Casey Janssen, and David Purcey.

For 2011, the closer looks to be former Ranger closer Frank Francisco, who can be much better than Gregg but historically is just marginally better. Other closers are in camp, including Octavio Dotel and Jon Rauch, as well as Frasor, Janssen, Camp, and Purcey. This is a very deep staff and should continue to keep Toronto in games.

Catching:

Last year’s duo of John Buck and Jose Molina were impressive defensively – above average in six different categories, and league average in terms of basic mobility. Buck also hit well – an all-star level performance.

Looking ahead, Toronto will be depending on rookie J.P. Arencibia. After struggling through a rough 2009 season in Las Vegas, Arencibia pounded PCL pitchers to the tune of 32 – 85 – .301 in 104 games. That translates to about 20 – 65 – .250, which is not too far from a typical John Buck season. Molina remains as a capable defensive backup.

Infield:

The changes continue from the infield that started the 2010 season. Basher Jose Bautista showed to be more consistent at third than Edwin Encarnacion, who will move to first or DH in 2011. Yunel Escobar can find his groove and hopefully contribute like the hitter he was in 2009, and second baseman Aaron Hill will rebound from his .205 2010 season and hopefully retain his power. Adam Lind moves to first base, replacing Lyle Overbay. I’m nervous about this unit. The left side will be marginally better than 2010 defensively, but the right side will not be. Lind has yet to produce as many runs as Overbay, and the 85 games Alex Gonzalez played were productive and hard to immediately replace.

John McDonald is still around to back everyone up – as is Encarncion.

Outfield:

Left field will be manned by former Angel Juan Rivera, who replaces Fred Lewis – a fourth outfielder at best. While an improvement, Rivera is starting to get old and in ten seasons has never played 140 games in a season. Vernon Wells is gone, replaced by Rajai Davis. Davis is faster than Wells, but about 25 runs behind him as a hitter. In right is Travis Snider, who replaces Bautista’s role. Snider is due to step forward as a hitter, but hasn’t been a strong fielder.

Down on the Farm:

AAA Las Vegas wasn’t loaded with prospects other than Arencibia, who will start on opening day, and Brett Wallace, who was traded to Houston for Anthony Gose – a low level centerfielder with speed to burn, but a problem with contact and little power. (I’ll be honest, I don’t see the reasoning there unless one thinks Wallace didn’t have a future in Toronto, but I think he’s better than Encarnacion.)

AA New Hampshire had Drabek, but also Zach Stewart, who is a year older but not quite as good. David Cooper is a first baseman who has stats that look like Lyle Overbay – but at AA. He might be a year away, but he’s not quite there yet. Eric Thames has more power and a touch of speed. He could replace Juan Rivera and you might not lose a step. Darin Mastroianni is a leadoff type hitter, great speed and good on base percentages. At 25, he’s getting old for a prospect, but he could help somebody for a months if needed. The guy who is really interesting is Cuban import Adeiny Hechavarria, who looks like Davy Concepcion did when he was 21 years old – great glove, could grow into a hitter (but not yet). Tristan Magnuson was successful as a reliever in AA, with great control, but Danny Farquhar has better stuff – 79Ks in 76 innings, just 50 hits allowed. He’s a touch wild.

Alan Farina didn’t look like a prospect after a season of struggle at A+ Dunedin, but he DOMINATED A+ in 2010 and moved up to New Hampshire and kept right on going (74Ks in 55.2 innings). If he does this in Las Vegas, he may make the roster in September, 2011. Joel Carreno is a starter with moxie who will start in AA this year after a successful run in 2010 with Dunedin. Catcher Travis D’Arnaud will get to build on a reasonably successful 2010 season, but it would help if he shows a little more power.

2011 Forecast:

There are things to like. The outfield defense should be stronger. The team will be spending less money at a couple of positions, which helped pay for a Jose Bautista contract. The pitching staff is rather deep, especially in the bullpen. The only slip defensively is at first base – which means the team will likely stay around 715 runs allowed, if not a few less than that.

The things that make you nervous? I think the offense has to fall back. I can see Bautista having a good season, but will it be as good as last year? Probably not. You have a drop in offense at first and center and possibly at catcher against potential improvements in left and second. But there are too many “downs” to make up for the possible “ups” – and I see this as being sixty to eighty runs less than 2010. As such, I see Toronto falling below .500 to about 77 – 85, which could very well be last in the AL East. This isn’t a BAD team, just a team in the wrong division and falling back because a couple of guys were over their heads last year. On the other hand, there are signs that this team is trying to build a new foundation of young players that can get them over the 90 win plateau and finally get back to the playoffs.

The best offense in the NL – despite an off season from shortstop and lead off man, Jimmy Rollins.

A solid pitching performance – despite problems with Cole Hamels not pitching like an ace, Jamie Moyer starting to look his age, and a bullpen that couldn’t close the door – namely the oft injured and ineffective Brad Lidge.

The Phillies had one bad month, but one GREAT month, and nobody in the league was really as good – top to bottom – as Philadelphia. And yet, there were a couple of holes. The defense at a couple of positions were off – namely center, left, and short – and the starting pitching so degenerated down the stretch that the aged Pedro Martinez was brought in and seen as sort of a Godsend. No worries – there were enough runs scored on a regular basis that it didn’t really matter.

Pitching:

As mentioned earlier, Cole Hamels was the staff ace who lost his mojo along the way – giving up a few too many homers and hits. Still – he wasn’t horrible; just league average. Joe Blanton actually led the Phils in innings pitched and saved his team about seven more runs over the same amount of time.

What helped the Phillies was the surprise performance of J.A. Happ, who moved from the pen to the rotation and went 12 – 4 (one of three 12 game winners), and saving his team nearly 30 runs over league average pitching. Cliff Lee arrived at the trading deadline and won seven of eleven decisions and looked great the longer he hung around (including the postseason). Pedro Martinez made nine good enough starts, taking Jamie Moyer‘s spot. Moyer had served up 27 homers in just 162 innings, though his offensive support kept his record on the positive side (12 – 10).

The bullpen was nowhere near as supportive. In 2008, there were five guys who were well above league average and Brad Lidge converted every save opportunity. In 2009, Lidge was 22 runs worse than the average pitcher in just 58.2 innings – and ERA of 7.21 proof of the pain.

Ryan Madson was still solid, and Chan Ho Park was decent in long relief. Chad Durbin, however, fell off while Clay Condrey, Tyler Walker, and Scott Eyre were decent in smaller roles.

Looking ahead to 2010, Cliff Lee was traded to Seattle as part of a three-team deal that brought Roy Halliday to town. Halliday will be an immediate improvement over just about anyone. I think Hamels will figure it out and gain about 10 runs against the league. That will make up for Happ’s falling back a little. Blanton is what he is – a middle of the rotation guy. Martinez isn’t back – suddenly Moyer is #5 again – and I’m not convinced that this is going to be a good thing. Moyer was ten runs worse than the league – probably will be again – so he cuts into the gains of having Halliday at the top. Maybe Kyle Kendrick will fool enough people long enough to help out – or be a long reliever.

If Lidge gets his act together, if Jose Contreras helps the way Park did, if Danys Baez is tolerable… Lots of ifs in the bullpen. I don’t see the bullpen getting better soon. Even if Lidge comes back and is league average, the rest of the bullpen isn’t all that impressive anymore. Scott Eyre retired.

The net change is relatively flat. No matter how good Halliday will be, and even with Hamels returning to form, the rest of the staff isn’t very good and may slip by 10 runs.

Catching:

Carlos Ruiz isn’t horrible and his bat came back last year. Backups Chris Coste and Paul Bako have some skills – Bako defensively, Coste offensively, though he fell back last year in limited opportunities.

Moving forward, Ruiz keeps his job, to be backed up by former Met Brian Schneider. No change.

Infield:

Ryan Howard is a FORCE, even if he doesn’t always hit lefties as well as you might want. And, his glove isn’t a problem.

Chase Utley is an offensive marvel and a defensive wizard.

Jimmy Rollins is NOT – but he still helps out a little bit. He hit 21 homers, had 40+ doubles, 31 stolen bases – but made a LOT of outs at the top of the order. And, his range was abysmal – 12 plays per 800 balls in play less than his shortstop brethren, costing his team 26 runs.

Not that you want Eric Bruntlett out there either.

Pedro Feliz didn’t provide too much offense (despite 30 doubles and a dozen homers), but his glove was worthy of gold glove consideration.

Looking ahead, you have three of the four back and former Phillie (and Tiger) Placido Polanco becomes the new third baseman. I don’t think Polanco will match Feliz in the field (though he won’t be bad), but he might add a few runs offensively.

Eric Bruntlett, Greg Dobbs, and Juan Castro back these guys up but won’t get much playing time. Ross Gload was added as a pinch hitter.

Outfield:

Raul Ibanez hit for power, falling off after a remarkably fast start, but his defensive leaves a lot to be desired. (Still – he’s better than, say, Pat Burrell.)

In center, Shane Victorino improved as a hitter, but didn’t look totally comfortable in center. With a range factor of -9 (nine plays worse than average for every 800 balls in play), he cost his team 26 runs. Add in Ibanez, and you’ve cost your pitchers 40 runs – way too many.

However, rightfielder Jayson Werth was AWESOME defensively – making more putouts than Victorino (very rare for RF to catch more balls than CF) and added 36 homers (four Phillies cleared 30) and 20 steals.

John Mayberry, Greg Dobbs, Ben Francisco, and Eric Bruntlett provide backup innings – but only Francisco can really play the outfield.

Prospects:

The best player in AAA was Lou Marson, a catcher who is now in Cleveland. Otherwise, this is a team of 30 somethings. Andrew Carpenter can pitch a little – he fared better in Lehigh than Kyle Kendrick, but doesn’t have ACE material. Carlos Carrasco is just 23 and has the K/W ratio you like but a 6 – 9, 5.18 mark won’t put you high on prospect lists.

The best player in AA Reading was pitcher Kyle Drabek, who is now in Toronto. Reliever Sergio Escalona may make the roster – he has okay control and some Ks, but keeps the ball in the park. At best, a seventh inning guy. Antonio Bastardo got a shot with the parent club – he looked really good in limited AA time, so he probably needs a full season in AAA to prove he’s worth a roster spot full time. Outfielders Domonic Brown and Michael Taylor showed bat speed and power – but Taylor is the real prospect after hitting .333 with 15 homers in 86 games. Taylor, however, is now with the Oakland As – after heading to Toronto, the Blue Jays moved him to Oakland for prospect Brett Wallace.

I mentioned Domonic Brown, who also demolished the Florida State League, but another prospect at A+ Clearwater was Tim Kennelly, a kid from Perth, Australia who is finally coming into his own. He’s a catcher, third baseman, outfielder – which means they don’t think he can catch. Yet. Pitcher Michael Schwimer fanned 82 in 60 innings and at that rate would be a future closer.

Forecast:

You have pretty much the same team as last year, a team that might allow fifteen more runs because of the weaker bullpen. but might not need the bullpen as often with Halliday out there. If Hamels and Blanton and Halliday eat 675 innings and Happ and Moyer eat 350 more, that leaves only 350 – 400 innings for the bullpen, a very small number. I don’t like that the team is a year older all over the field, but then again – you don’t mess with a team that has been in back-to-back World Series. I might have looked for a young outfielder who could fly in center and moved Victorino to left, though. Can you trade Jimmy Rollins? I just don’t see anyone to replace him on the farm, though.

Still, I see the team with 820 runs scored and 725 runs allowed, and the system says 91 wins. My hunch says another division crown, but there are reasons to think it might not happen. If Atlanta is as good as advertised, the Philles might not win the division and will be hard pressed to hold off the Marlins. There’s a lot of pride and experience here – but the system says that the Braves will be slightly better.

Having outscored their opponents by 27 runs, the Jays should have won about 84 games. This isn’t the first time that Toronto has won fewer games than one might expect based on their runs scored and allowed data. In 2008, they were ten games over .500 with essentially the same ratio of runs as the World Series bound Tampa Rays. In 2007, the Jays scored one fewer run than they allowed in road games, but lost 47 of 81 games. And that 2005 club finished under .500 despite outscoring their opponents by 70 runs. That’s four of five years that Roy Halliday thinks that he should have been on a contending team – only to fall by the wayside.

Who should be held responsible for this?

Season Recap:

Most teams had the Jays landing in fourth place in the prediction category, but most of us figured it would have been more like 85 wins.

The Jays got off to a GREAT start. It wasn’t long before Toronto, led by Halliday, Scott Richmond, and Ricky Romero, were running off and looking like they would be a force in the AL Beast. After sweeping the Chicago White Sox on May 18, Toronto hit a SLUMP – all CAPS because they lost nine straight, six to Boston and Baltimore. Rumors that Halliday was to be traded starting dominating the news – when it wasn’t some member of the rotation going down to injury – and I think the Jays got horribly distracted.

I know this – the team’s OBP every month was about .333 except July, when they must have started swinging at everything. The OBP in July was .298. So, even though the pitching staff was still getting the job done (a 3.81 ERA, best of the year), they couldn’t win, and it was July that put them out.

At this point, the Jays lost a lot – killing off the season as July started and finally bottoming out after reaching fifteen below .500 in early September. Halliday never got traded and, in fact, once the team figured out they had better just enjoy being a team the rest of the way, the team had a winning September when it didn’t matter.

Pitching:

Roy Halliday was marvelous – 17 – 10 with a 2.50 ERA and saving his club 47 runs more than average pitching would have provided. Ricky Romero finished with 13 wins and was about 8.5 runs better than average in 178 innings. Scott Richmond lost 11 of his last 15 decisions, costing his team 14.5 runs, and then hit the DL where he’ll likely miss most of 2010. Brian Tallett got 160 innings and his control got the best of him. Brett Cecil got 17 starts, had a winning record, but seemed very hittable (5.30 ERA, 17 homers and 116 hits in 93.1 innings).

On the other hand, Marc Rzepczynski proved a potential rotation player with 11 decent enough starts – and hopefully can build on that for 2010.

In the bullpen, a closer could not keep a job. B.J. Ryan wasn’t worthy – 6.53 ERA – and was shipped out. Scott Downs hung in there for a while with 9 saves and decent numbers (good control); Jason Frasor was even better and eventually earned the closer role for good.

No worries – for 2010, the pitching staff will look different with Halliday having been shipped to Philadelphia for a boatload of prospects.

First, Shaun Marcum returns from an injury forced exile to take over the front of the rotation. I like Marcum – he’s a fine pitcher, but he’s no Halliday. Romero returns, as does Rzepczynski and Tallett, with former Mariner Brandon Morrow joining the rotation to take the ball in the first inning every fifth turn.

Marcum has always been an above average pitcher – but not 40 runs above average. And Morrow has never been dependable as a starter. Even Tallett is a converted reliever – which means his arm hasn’t been abused, but he needs to find consistency this year.

The bullpen starts with Frasor, but adds Kevin Gregg from the Cubs. Scott Downs returns and will help. Jesse Carlson and Jeremy Accardo round out the top five. Gregg is inconsistent, too – but he’ll be a nice eighth inning option. There is more depth here than in, say Baltimore. I like Baltimore’s rotation better, though.

Looking forward, I see this unit performing about 50 runs worse than the 2009 rotation – mostly because Halliday won’t be there. That puts a lot of pressure on the bullpen, and the sixth and seventh guys. And THOSE aren’t the guys you want pitching important innings.

Catching:

Rod Barajas provided solid catching, but couldn’t get his batting average over .230. Still – he had 19 homers and 71 RBI. Essentially, the Blue Jays replaced him with the same guy – former Royal John Buck. Buck can get the same numbers at the plate but probably not behind it; Buck isn’t as good as Barajas against the run.

Infield:

Lyle Overbay didn’t seem as mobile with the glove, and with a falloff at the plate, he was a bit of a problem. Overbay ISN’T a bad first baseman. Usually he makes up for his lack of power with fantastic fielding. If he’s not going to be a gold glove winner, then his bat – still above average – looks pedestrian when compared to others. His backup, Kevin Millar, didn’t help at the plate or in the field.

Aaron Hill came back from concussion issues to give head injuries to the baseball, hitting 36 homers and another 37 doubles. Hill was nearly an MVP candidate.

Marco Scutaro was an amazing leadoff hitter, getting on base at a .383 clip and scoring 100 runs. Backup infielder John McDonald still fields well, but his hitting is pedestrian.

The Jays started with Scott Rolen, who hit .320 (who saw THAT?), but was traded to Cincinnati for Edwin Encarnacion – who didn’t. Rolen was traded because he was expensive, but at least he was producing.

For 2010, the infield still has Overbay and Hill, but the other side of the infield features Alex Gonzalez, who has little range and a fading bat. He WON’T generate 100 runs of offense, and he’ll be worse in the field than the below average Scutaro. Rolen, until the injuries, was know for being dependable – something Encarnacion is not – and he won’t ever hit like Rolen, either. I can’t see Hill repeating, Overbay may slide some more, and the other two will KILL the Blue Jays offense. Look for a 80 run decline offensively and a 20 run decline defensively.

Outfield:

Yes – Alex Rios was disappointing when considering his pay and his production. However, Rios is an above average fielder and hitter. He’s gone. Jose Bautista, who was nearly as productive and cheaper, will get the nod in right field. It’s no better than a wash going forward.

Vernon Wells remains in centerfield. He’s old, has had below average range for half a decade now, and will have hamstring problems until he’s 100. He’s no longer capable of 20 homers and doesn’t get on base much. He also has a contract nobody else wants.

In left, Adam Lind will be a DH (whew!) but Travis Snider needs to step forward. There’s a lot to like – he has power, but needs to make better contact. At least he’ll get to more fly balls than Lind. Randy Ruiz, a slugger, will also get some more at bats after hitting ten homers in 115 at bats last year. Like Lind, Ruiz is immobile in the field, too.

I don’t think Bautista is a long-term answer and if Wells go down (and he will), they’ll need to get Phillies prospect Michael Taylor to the big leagues.

Prospects:

First, you have the prospects that the Jays got in the Halliday trade. one, catcher Travis D’Arnaud, will make the club in a couple of years. Pitcher Kyle Drabek will be allowed to find his feet in AAA before moving up to the bigs later this year. And Michael Taylor isn’t listed on the 25 man roster, so he’ll get some time to prove his worth before getting the call.

Looking at AAA Las Vegas, you have to remember that to be a prospect, you have to hit about .330 – like Travis Snider. J.P. Arencibia would be a better power prospect if he hit .336, but he hit .236 instead. Other than Snider, who should be ready, nobody else is a prospect for the lineup. For the same reason, pitching prospects never look so good – so you want good control and an ERA under 4.00 and there just aren’t that many who fit that bill. Dirk Hayhurst might be close – but he starts 2010 on the 60-day DL after surgery on his right shoulder. Maybe he can come back in 2011.

At AA New Hampshire, Reidier Gonzalez showed control but not enough strikeouts in his 93 innings. Fabio Castro, a tiny lefty who has seven years with four franchises, looked okay but doesn’t have a strikeout pitch that he can depend on as he moves up and faces AAA hitting.

The best hitter at AA was Brian Dopirak, who hasn’t yet made it to the bigs but is starting to look like he might hit about .270 with some power if he gets there. Dopirak hit .308 with 19 homers in New Hampshire, then .330 with 8 homers in Las Vegas. With Overbay around, he won’t get a chance without someone getting hurt.

A+ Dunedin featured Darin Mastroianni, a speedy centerfielder who can steal bases (70 in Dunedin and New Hampshire last year) and finally started to look like a hitter last year. He needs to keep drawing more walks to look like a Brett Butler type, but he made progress on that last year, too – 76 in 131 games. Pitcher Bobby Bell had 112 Ks and just 22 walks in 96.1 innings, but the real ace might be reliever Tim Collins, a teenager last year, who had 99 Ks and 29 walks in just 64.2 innings. That’s CLOSER material, and I’d name him as the most exciting prospect on the farm.

The Lansing Lugnuts featured a few young arms with promise. Of them, I like Henderson Alvarez, who walked just 19 in 124.1 innings and led his team in Innings, ERA and wins.

Forecast:

Let the rebuilding begin. We’re talking about a team that is going to lose 100 runs of offense, probably, and another 80 runs defensively. Toronto will likely lose 95 games and possibly 100, costing Cito Gaston his sanity if not his job. The system says 65.5 wins, but I’m rounding down in this division.

Earlier this week, I posted my list of the top pitchers in the NL and explained my methods. Just as a recap, here’s what I am trying to do:

1) I start with the number of runs allowed by each pitcher, and the number of innings that guy pitched.

2) I modify the number of runs allowed to account for any bias based on the pitcher’s home park.

3) I modify the number of runs allowed based on my defensive rating system for teams and players because if you have Seattle’s team defense behind you, you are less likely to allow a run than if you had the Royals defense behind you. We’ll get into this in more detail when we hand out defensive awards next week.

Then, I compare what an average pitcher would have done with what that pitcher did – and come up with a “runs saved” or “extra runs allowed” ranking. Nobody saved his team more runs than did Zack Greinke last year. Zack Greinke had a really low ERA over more than 220 innings despite pitching in a park that helps hitters a little bit and having a rather poor defense behind him. As such, his season is the best season I have tracked since I started doing this in 2005.

In fact, it’s not even close – Greinke had as good a season as we’ve seen by a pitcher in a long, long time. Imagine if he had done this for 40 starts instead of 33, with a team like Seattle. He MIGHT have had an ERA around 1.70 and a won-loss record of something like 27 – 4. From this, you can see that Halliday instead of Cliff Lee will be a slight step up for Philadelphia and would have been a more serious contender for the Cy Young Award (in my book) had not Greinke been more dominating.

Another thing of interest – four relievers were good enough to sneak onto the list of pitcher saving his team more than 20 runs, led by Andrew Bailey. Let’s use that to show the list of the top relievers in the AL last year.

A couple of things – usually the top guys are middle relievers or set up men with great ERAs in 70 innings. There are a couple here – Thorton, Wuertz, and Oliver for example. Still – the top four guys were KILLER closers in 2009.

If you had Andy Sonnestine on your fantasy team last year, you didn’t read my Tampa Rays Team Profile that pointed out that many of the Rays pitchers weren’t as good as you thought because the team defense in 2008 was amazingly good. In 2009, Bartlett was hurt, and Upton struggled, and Aki Iwamura went down, and Carlos Pena looked a little older (and then left to an injury). Sonnestine may throw strikes, but they sure do get hit a lot.

Hopefully, Fausto Carmona and Chien-Ming Wang can figure things out. Two years ago, these guys won nearly 40 games combined – and now they are #2 and #3 on the wrong list.

And, if you are scrolling down to the NL List, note that the list contained a bunch of Brewer and Padre pitchers. In the AL, only Seattle doubled up by having two guys get pounded around – bad pitching was more evenly distributed…